حمر

Root entry · 20 derived lemmas

The root حمر (ḥmr) primarily denotes the color red and its various shades. It extends to concepts of intensity, severity, and sometimes, by extension, specific groups of people or things associated with redness or intensity.

Derived headwords

اِحْمَرَّverb

1.
to become redboth
To turn red in color, often referring to a stable or inherent redness.
2.
to be intensely redclassical
To be characterized by a deep or strong red color.

اِحْمَارَّverb

1.
to become redboth
To turn red, often referring to a temporary or acquired redness, as opposed to an inherent one.

اِحْمِرَارnoun

1.
rednessboth
The state or quality of being red; the process of becoming red.

اِحْمِيْرَارnoun

1.
temporary rednessclassical
A transient or acquired redness, as opposed to an inherent color.

الأَحْمَرadjective

1.
redboth
Having the color red.
2.
ruddyboth
Having a healthy, reddish complexion.
3.
intenseclassical
Referring to something severe or intense, like a harsh year or a difficult situation.
4.
goldclassical
Used metaphorically to refer to gold.

حَمْرَاءadjective

1.
redboth
Feminine form of 'red'.
2.
white (complexion)classical
Used to describe a fair or white complexion, especially in women.
3.
Persian/Roman (people)classical
Referring to non-Arabs, particularly Persians and Romans, often due to their lighter complexions.
4.
intense (year)classical
Describing a severe or harsh year, often due to drought.

حُمْرَةnoun

1.
rednessboth
The color red; a reddish hue.
2.
intensityclassical
Severity or intensity, often used in contexts of war or hardship.
3.
diseaseclassical
A specific ailment characterized by redness in the affected area.

الأَحْمَرَانnoun

1.
gold and saffronclassical
A pair referring to gold and saffron, often associated with luxury and women's adornments.
2.
meat and wineclassical
A pair referring to meat and wine, often associated with men's indulgences.

الأَحَامِرَةnoun

1.
red dyes/perfumesclassical
Referring to red perfumes or cosmetics, like khulūq.
2.
meat and drinkclassical
Referring to meat and beverages.
3.
foreignersclassical
A group of non-Arabs who settled in Basra and Kufa.

حِمَارَة القَيْظnoun

1.
midsummer heatboth
The intense heat of midsummer.

المُحْمَرَّةnoun

1.
a sect (Khirmites)classical
A faction of the Khurramiyya sect, distinguished by their red banners.

حَمْرَاء الظَّهِيرَةnoun

1.
peak of noon heatclassical
The most intense heat of the afternoon.

حَمْرَاءnoun

1.
red camelclassical
A camel with a reddish or saffron-like color.
2.
red goatclassical
A goat that is purely red in color.

حَمْرnoun

1.
red onesboth
Plural of 'red', referring to red things or people.

حَمْرَانnoun

1.
red onesclassical
Plural of 'red', used for people or things.

حُمَيْرَاءadjective

1.
little red oneclassical
Diminutive of 'red', used affectionately, particularly for women with fair complexions.

المَوْت الأَحْمَرnoun

1.
bloody deathclassical
Death by killing, characterized by bloodshed; also used to denote extreme severity.

السَّنَة الحَمْرَاءnoun

1.
harsh yearclassical
A year of severe drought and hardship.

اِحْمَرَّ البَأْسverb phrase

1.
war intensifiedclassical
When battle or conflict becomes severe and intense.

كِتْمnoun

1.
red dyeclassical
A red dye used for coloring or dyeing.

Parallel reading

الحمرة: من الألوان المتوسطة معروفة.

Redness: it is one of the known intermediate colors.

لون الأحمر يكون في الحيوان والثياب وغير ذلك مما يقبله، وحكاه ابن الأعرابي في الماء أيضا.

The color red occurs in animals, clothes, and other things that accept it, and Ibn al-A'rabi also mentioned it in water.

وقد احمر الشيء واحمار بمعنى، وكل افعل من هذا الضرب فمحذوف من افعال، وافعل فيه أكثر لخفته.

A thing may become red (iḥmarra) and (iḥmārra) with the same meaning; every 'if' pattern of this type is a deletion from verbs, and 'if' is more common due to its lightness.

ويقال: احمر الشيء احمرارا إذا لزم لونه فلم يتغير من حال إلى حال، واحمار يحمار احميرارا إذا كان عرضا حادثا لا يثبت كقولك: جعل يحمار مرة ويصفار أخرى؛

It is said: a thing became red (iḥmarra) with redness (iḥmirār) if its color became fixed and did not change from one state to another, and it became red (iḥmārra) with a temporary redness (iḥmirār) if it was an acquired, unstable condition, like your saying: it kept turning red one moment and yellow the next.

والأحمر من الأبدان: ما كان لونه الحمرة.

And the red of bodies: is that whose color is redness.

أهلك النساء الأحمران، يعنون الذهب والزعفران، أي أهلكهن حب الحلى والطيب.

The two reds (al-aḥmarān) destroy women, meaning gold and saffron, i.e., their love of adornments and perfumes destroys them.

أهلك الرجال الأحمران: اللحم والخمر.

The two reds (al-aḥmarān) destroy men: meat and wine.

وفي الحديث: أعطيت الكنزين الأحمر والأبيض ؛ هي ما أفاء الله على أمته من كنوز الملوك.

And in the Hadith: I was given the two treasures, the red and the white; it is what Allah granted to His Ummah from the treasures of kings.

ابن سيده: الأحمران الذهب والزعفران، وقيل: الخمر واللحم فإذا قلت الأحامرة ففيها الخلوق؛

Ibn Sīdah said: The two reds (al-aḥmarān) are gold and saffron, and it was said: wine and meat. If you say al-aḥāmirah, it includes khulūq (red perfume).

يقال للذهب والزعفران الأصفران، وللماء واللبن الأبيضان، وللتمر والماء الأسودان.

Gold and saffron are called the two yellows (al-aṣfarān), water and milk are the two whites (al-abyaḍān), and dates and water are the two blacks (al-aswādān).

يقال: أتاني كل أسود منهم وأحمر، ولا يقال أبيض؛ معناه جميع الناس عربهم وعجمهم؛

It is said: every black and red among them came to me, and 'white' is not said; it means all people, Arabs and non-Arabs.

وفي الحديث: بعثت إلى الأحمر والأسود ونصرت بالرعب مسيرة شهر ؛

And in the Hadith: I was sent to the red and the black, and I was aided by terror for the distance of a month.

قال شمر: يعني العرب والعجم والغالب على ألوان العرب السمرة والأدمة وعلى ألوان العجم البياض والحمرة، وقيل: أراد الإنس والجن،

Shammār said: meaning Arabs and non-Arabs. The prevailing colors of Arabs are brown and dark, and the prevailing colors of non-Arabs are white and redness. It was also said: he meant humans and jinn.

وروي عن أبي مسحل أنه قال في قوله بعثت إلى الأحمر والأسود: يريد بالأسود الجن وبالأحمر الإنس، سمي الإنس الأحمر للدم الذي فيهم،

And it is narrated from Abu Masḥal that he said regarding the saying 'I was sent to the red and the black': he means by black the jinn and by red the humans, humans are called red because of the blood in them.

والعرب تقول: امرأة حمراء أي بيضاء.

And the Arabs say: a red woman (imra'ah ḥamrā') means a white woman.

وقال علي، عليه السلام، لعائشة، رضي الله عنها: إياك أن تكونيها يا حميراء أي يا بيضاء.

And Ali, peace be upon him, said to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her: Beware of calling her 'Huymaira', meaning 'O white one'.

وفي الحديث: خذوا شطر دينكم من الحميراء ؛ يعني عائشة، كان يقول لها أحيانا يا حميراء تصغير الحمراء يريد البيضاء؛

And in the Hadith: Take half of your religion from al-Ḥumayrā'; meaning Aisha, he sometimes called her 'Ḥumayrā'', the diminutive of al-Ḥamrā', meaning the white one.

وقوله: جمعتم فأوعيتم، وجئتم بمعشر ... توافت به حمران عبد وسودها يريد بعبد عبد بن بكر بن كلاب؛

And his saying: You gathered and contained, and you came with a group... whose red ones (ḥumrān) and black ones (sudūdahā) of 'Abd met with it. He means by 'Abd: 'Abd ibn Bakr ibn Kilāb.

نضخ العلوج الحمر في حمامها إنما عنى البيض، وقيل: أراد المحمرين بالطيب.

The red infidels dripped in their baths; he only meant the white ones, and it was said: he meant those reddened with perfume.

ويقال: هو الموت الأحمر والموت الأسود؛ قال: ومعناه الشديد؛

It is said: it is the red death and the black death; he said: and its meaning is the severe one.

قال أبو عبيد: فكأنه أراد بقوله احمر البأس أي صار في الشدة والهول مثل ذلك.

Abu Ubayd said: So it is as if he meant by his saying 'the battle became red' (iḥmarra al-ba's) that it became like that in severity and terror.

والمحمرة: الذين علامتهم الحمرة كالمبيضة والمسودة، وهم فرقة من الخرمية، الواحد منهم محمر، وهم يخالفون المبيضة.

And al-Muḥammarah: those whose sign is redness, like al-Mubayyaḍah and al-Musawwadah. They are a faction of the Khurramiyyah, one of them is Muḥammar, and they differ from al-Mubayyaḍah.

ويقال للذين يحمرون راياتهم خلاف زي المسودة من بني هاشم: المحمرة، كما يقال للحرورية المبيضة، لأن راياتهم في الحروب كانت بيضا.

And it is said for those who redden their banners in opposition to the black banners of the Banu Hashim: al-Muḥammarah, just as it is said for the Kharijites who had white banners (al-Mubayyaḍah), because their banners in wars were white.

وموت أحمر: يوصف بالشدة؛ ومنه: لو تعلمون ما في هذه الأمة من الموت الأحمر ، يعني القتل لما فيه من حمرة الدم، أو لشدته.

And a red death (mawt aḥmar): is described by severity. And from it: If you knew what is in this Ummah of the red death, meaning killing due to the redness of blood, or due to its severity.

قال أبو زبيد الطائي يصف الأسد: إذا علقت قرنا خطاطيف كفه، ... رأى الموت رأي العين أسود أحمرا

Abu Zubayd al-Ta'i said, describing a lion: When its claws grasp an opponent, ... he sees death with his own eyes, black and red.

وقال أبو عبيد في معنى قولهم: هو الموت الأحمر يسمدر بصر الرجل من الهول فيرى الدنيا في عينيه حمراء وسوداء، وأنشد بيت أبي زبيد.

And Abu Ubayd said regarding the meaning of their saying: it is the red death, the man's vision becomes dilated from terror, and he sees the world in his eyes as red and black, and he recited the verse of Abu Zubayd.

قال الأصمعي: يجوز أن يكون من قول العرب وطأة حمراء إذا كانت طرية لم تدرس، فمعنى قولهم الموت الأحمر الجديد الطري.

Al-Asma'i said: It is permissible that it is from the Arabs' saying 'a red footprint' (waṭ'ah ḥamrā') if it is fresh and not worn out, so the meaning of their saying 'the red death' is new and fresh.

وقالوا: الحسن أحمر أي شاق أي من أحب الحسن احتمل المشقة.

And they said: Beauty is red (al-ḥasan aḥmar), meaning difficult, i.e., whoever loves beauty must endure hardship.

قال الأزهري: وكذلك موت أحمر. قال: الحمرة في الدم والقتال، يقول يلقى منه المشقة والشدة كما يلقى من القتال.

Al-Azhari said: And likewise a red death (mawt aḥmar). He said: Redness is in blood and fighting, meaning one encounters hardship and severity from it, just as one encounters from fighting.

الحمرة: داء يعتري الناس فيحمر موضعها، وتغالب بالرقية.

Al-Ḥumrah: a disease that afflicts people, causing the affected area to turn red, and it is overcome by incantation.

وقالوا: خير الإبل حمرها وصهبها؛

And they said: The best camels are the red ones and the reddish-brown ones.

والحمراء: العجم لبياضهم ولأن الشقرة أغلب الألوان عليهم، وكانت العرب تقول للعجم الذين يكون البياض غالبا على ألوانهم مثل الروم والفرس ومن صاقبهم: إنهم الحمراء؛

And al-Ḥamrā': the non-Arabs, due to their whiteness and because reddish-blond is the dominant color among them. The Arabs used to call the non-Arabs whose complexions were predominantly white, like the Romans, Persians, and their neighbors: they are the red ones (al-Ḥamrā').

ومن حديث علي، رضي الله عنه، حين قال له سراة من أصحابه العرب: غلبتنا عليك هذه الحمراء؛ فقال: لنضربنكم على الدين عودا كما ضربتموهم عليه بدءا ؛ أراد بالحمراء الفرس والروم.

And from the Hadith of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, when the nobles of his Arab companions said to him: These red ones (al-Ḥamrā') have overcome you; he said: We will fight you for the sake of religion again, just as you fought them for it initially. He meant by al-Ḥamrā' the Persians and the Romans.

والعرب إذا قالوا: فلان أبيض وفلانة بيضاء فمعناه الكرم في الأخلاق لا لون الخلقة، وإذا قالوا: فلان أحمر وفلانة حمراء عنوا بياض اللون؛

And when the Arabs say: So-and-so is white (abyaḍ) and so-and-so is white (bayḍā'), it means nobility in character, not the color of the complexion. And when they say: So-and-so is red (aḥmar) and so-and-so is red (ḥamrā'), they mean the color white.

والعرب تسمي الموالي الحمراء.

And the Arabs call the clients (mawālī) the red ones (al-Ḥamrā').

والأحامرة: قوم من العجم نزلوا البصرة وتبنكوا بالكوفة.

And al-Aḥāmirah: a people of non-Arabs who settled in Basra and took root in Kufa.

والأحمر: الذي لا سلاح معه.

And al-Aḥmar: he who has no weapon with him.

والسنة الحمراء: الشديدة لأنها واسطة بين السوداء والبيضاء؛

And the red year (al-sanah al-ḥamrā'): the severe one, because it is intermediate between the black (bad) and the white (good).

وفي حديث طهفة: أصابتنا سنة حمراء أي شديدة الجدب لأن آفاق السماء تحمر في سني الجدب والقحط؛

And in the Hadith of Ṭuhfah: A red year (sanah ḥamrā') afflicted us, meaning severe drought, because the horizons of the sky turn red in years of drought and famine.

وفي حديث حليمة: أنها خرجت في سنة حمراء قد برت المال

And in the Hadith of Ḥalīmah: that she went out in a red year that had depleted the wealth.

قال: أخرج نعته على الأعوام فذكر، ولو أخرجه على السنوات لقال حمراوات؛

He said: He mentioned its description based on years (a'wām), so he used the masculine form. If he had mentioned it based on years (sanawāt), he would have said ḥamrāwāt.

وقال غيره: قيل لسني القحط حمراوات لاحمرار الآفاق فيه ومنه قول أمية: وسودت شمسهم إذا طلعت ... بالجلب [بالجلب] هفا، كأنه كتم

And others said: Years of drought are called ḥamrāwāt due to the redness of the horizons in them. And from it is the saying of Umayyah: And their sun turned black when it rose... with thin clouds, as if it were kتم (red dye).

والكتم: صبغ أحمر يختضب به.

And al-Katm: a red dye with which one dyes oneself.

وفي حديث علي، كرم الله تعالى وجهه، أنه قال: كنا إذا احمر البأس اتقينا برسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، أي إذا اشتدت الحرب استقبلنا العدو برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وجعلناه لنا وقاية.

And in the Hadith of Ali, may Allah sanctify his face, that he said: When the battle became intense (iḥmarra al-ba's), we took refuge behind the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, meaning when the war intensified, we faced the enemy with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and made him our shield.

قال الأصمعي: يقال هو الموت الأحمر والموت الأسود؛ قال: وأرى ذلك من ألوان السباع كأنه من شدته سبع؛

Al-Asma'i said: It is said 'the red death' and 'the black death'. He said: And I think that is from the colors of wild beasts, as if it were a beast due to its severity.

قال أبو عبيد: فكأنه أراد بقوله احمر البأس أي صار في الشدة والهول مثل ذلك.

Abu Ubayd said: So it is as if he meant by his saying 'the battle became red' (iḥmarra al-ba's) that it became like that in severity and terror.

قال ابن الأثير: وقيل كنى بالأحمر عن المشقة والشدة أي من أراد الحسن صبر على أشياء يكرهها.

Ibn al-Athir said: And it was said that 'red' is a metaphor for hardship and severity, meaning whoever desires beauty must endure things he dislikes.

رجل أحمر، والجمع الأحامر، فإن أردت المصبوغ بالحمرة قلت: أحمر، والجمع حمر.

A red man (rajul aḥmar), and the plural is al-aḥāmir. If you mean dyed with redness, you say: aḥmar, and the plural is ḥumr.

بعير أحمر: لونه مثل لون الزعفران إذا أجسد الثوب به، وقيل بعير أحمر إذا لم يخالط حمرته شيء؛

A red camel (ba'īr aḥmar): its color is like saffron when it dyes cloth. And a camel is called red if nothing mixes with its redness.

قال: قام إلى حمراء من كرامها، ... بازل عام أو سديس عامها وهي أصبر الإبل على الهواجر.

He said: He approached one of her noble red ones (ḥamrā'), ... a two-year-old or a six-month-old, and she is the most patient of camels in the midday heat.

قال أبو نصر النعامي: هجر بحمراء، واسر بورقاء، وصبح القوم على صهباء؛ قيل له: ولم ذلك؟ قال: لأن الحمراء أصبر على الهواجر، والورقاء أصبر على طول السرى، والصهباء أشهر وأحسن حين ينظر إليها.

Abu Nasr al-Na'ami said: He traveled by a red (camel), rested by a greyish-brown one, and the people arrived at dawn on a reddish-brown one. He was asked: Why is that? He said: Because the red one is more patient in the midday heat, the greyish-brown one is more patient for long night journeys, and the reddish-brown one is more famous and beautiful to look at.

والحمراء من المعز: الخالصة اللون.

And the red one of goats (al-ḥamrā' min al-ma'z): the one of pure color.

ومن حديث علي، كرم الله وجهه، أنه قال: كنا إذا احمر البأس اتقيناه برسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلم يكن أحد أقرب إليه منه ؛

And from the Hadith of Ali, may Allah sanctify his face, that he said: When the battle became intense (iḥmarra al-ba's), we took refuge behind the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and no one was closer to him than him.

قال ابن الأثير: معناه إذا اشتدت الحرب استقبلنا العدو به وجعلناه لنا وقاية، وقيل: أراد إذا اضطرمت نار الحرب وتسعرت، كما يقال في الشر بين القوم: اضطرمت نارهم تشبيها بحمرة النار؛ وكثيرا ما يطلقون الحمرة على الشدة.

Ibn al-Athir said: Its meaning is when the war intensified, we faced the enemy with him and made him our shield. It was said: he meant when the fire of war ignited and flared up, just as it is said about strife among people: their fire flared up, comparing it to the redness of fire. And they often use 'redness' (al-ḥumrah) to denote intensity.

وقال أبو عبيد في شرح الحديث الأحمر والأسود من صفات الموت: مأخوذ من لون السبع كأنه من شدته سبع، وقيل: شبه بالوطأة الحمراء لجدتها وكأن الموت جديد.

And Abu Ubayd said in explaining the Hadith 'the red and the black' as attributes of death: It is taken from the color of a wild beast, as if it were a beast due to its severity. It was said: it is compared to a red footprint (waṭ'ah ḥamrā') due to its newness, and as if death is new.

وحمارة القيظ، بتشديد الراء، وحمارته: شدة حره؛

And Ḥimārat al-Qayẓ, with a doubled 'r', and Ḥimāratuhu: its intense heat.

وحمرة الصيف: كحمارته.

And Ḥumrat al-Ṣayf: is like its intense heat (ḥimāratuhu).

وحمرة كل شيء وحمره: شدته.

And the redness of everything and its red: its intensity.

وحمر القيظ والشتاء: أشده.

And the red of summer and winter: their most intense parts.

قال: والعرب إذا ذكرت شيئا بالمشقة والشدة وصفته بالحمرة، ومنه قيل: سنة حمراء للجدبة.

He said: And when the Arabs mention something involving hardship and severity, they describe it with redness. And from this, it is said: a red year (sanah ḥamrā') for drought.